Agricultural seed planting is typically accomplished by multi-row planters and drills. Each planter and drill comprise a plurality of row units adapted for opening a seed furrow, depositing seeds within the seed furrow, and closing the seed furrow around the seeds. Additionally, many other attachments, such as chemical applicators, may be added to the row units.
The placement of a seed in a furrow greatly affects the growth characteristics of the plant. The seed drops from the planter into the furrow through a seed tube. The seed tube is designed and positioned on the planter to drop the seed into the bottom of the furrow. However, as the seeds pass through the seed tube, they are prone to bouncing, which affects the direction at which they leave the seed tube and fall into the furrow. Also, seeds often bounce off of the soil when dropped into the bottom of the seed furrow because of the speed with which they drop to the ground.
When the seeds bounce either as they exit the seed tube or after they strike the ground, the seeds are likely to come to rest on a side of the seed furrow above the bottom, or even outside of the furrow. After the seed is placed in the furrow, the furrow is closed by furrow closers to cover the seeds with soil and form a seed bed. If the seeds are improperly placed in the furrow, the seeds are in turn likely to be covered by an inadequate layer of soil. The depth that seeds are placed in the soil affects many growth aspects of the resulting plant.
Thus, improper seed placement in the furrow and the resulting affected soil coverage causes uneven plant emergence, poor stands, increased weed population, nonuniform maturity, longer insect life cycles, higher susceptibility to chemical damage, and ultimately lower yields.
Attempts to reduce seed bounce include moving the planter at a slower velocity. The slower planter velocity decreases the velocity at which the seed strikes the soil, and also decreases the bouncing of the seed as it falls through the seed tube, both in turn reducing the amount of bounce to which the seed is subjected. Planting at a slower rate, however, increases the amount of time it takes to plant a given size field, thus affecting the farmer's efficiency and his ability to take advantage of proper planting conditions.
Other attempts to reduce seed bounce have been developed, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,255, issued to Long et al. The Long patent discloses a strap that mounts to and extends beyond the end of the seed tube. The strap is flexible and has a flat transverse section, with a continuous width of approximately the width of a furrow. The strap extends into the furrow and is in contact with the soil at all times. During use, the strap bends rearwardly into an arcuate shape along its length as a result of being in contact with the soil. It appears that the strap is designed to contact the seed when the seed is resting in the soil, thereby potentially damaging the seed. The constant contact with the soil can also adversely affect the profile shape of the furrow.
Other devices have been developed, such as the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,318, issued to Keeton. The Keeton device is disclosed as reducing seed bounce and providing consistent seed depth and spacing. The Keeton device extends from the seed tube rearwardly and downwardly to contact the bottom of the furrow in order to press the seed into the soil. The Keeton device has varying flexibility along its length so that the device is flexible in the middle and rigid at the leading and trailing ends. The rigid trailing end presses the seed into the soil. The Keeton device subjects the seed to unnecessary and undesirable contact after the seed has come to rest in the trench, causing potentially detrimental impact on the seed, such as seed coat damage, or seed bruising. Damaging the seed in any way can kill the seed, and thus greatly affects the stand count. The Keeton device also trails far behind the opener disks and seed tube, and can interfere with the apparatus used to close the furrow.
It is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention was developed.